Aztecs to open Desert Sky League play against Granite Hills

BARSTOW • The Barstow High School football team will be looking for it's second win of 2010 and first Desert Sky League win tomorrow.

The Aztecs are currently 1-4 after starting the season with a rough preseason schedule against four teams that were ranked in the top 10 of their respective divisions. Barstow was outscored 19-114 in losses to Apple Valley, 24-7; Kaiser, 37-6; Paraclete, 29-6; and Quartz Hill 24-0.

However, the Aztecs' starting quarterback Steven Deverell and other players were out with injuries for much of the preseason. Barstow took advantage of a bye in the fifth week to get healthy and rebounded with a 20-15 win against Sultana.

The Aztecs' head coach Jose Rubio said he hopes the team can carry the success into its first DSL game against Granite Hills at 7 p.m. today at Langworthy Field.

"We should have won that last game by like 20-3," Rubio said. "We let them back in and they got those touchdowns. We also missed chances to score on our first drive, and had penalties that called back two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Those type of mistakes we can and will fix. We'll be ready for Granite (Hills)."

The Aztecs should feel confident heading into their game with the Cougars. They have history on their side as well as the strength their preseason has built into them. Barstow has beaten Granite Hills in every meeting between the teams. The Aztecs have a 10-game winning streak against the Cougars, and they have outscored them 289-98 in those games.

One possible difficulty for the Aztecs is that Granite Hills enters the meeting with a slightly better record, 2-3, than Barstow's 1-4. The Cougars are also averaging 300 total yards, 156 rushing and 144 passing, compared to Barstow's 98 yards rushing and 50 yards passing.